Finding
by wannabewyler
Summary: On that Halloween night, the Potter's all survived. A small story on what happens after they survive. James/Lily - First HPfic
1. Finding Pettigrew

_Disclaimer: Don't own anything; everything is the wonderful J.K. Rowling's. Love that chick._

* * *

"Now, don't get me wrong Professor, I truly am thankful to be alive, but how am I?" James Potter asked his voice full of both happiness and confusion. Beside him sat Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, his best friends who were the ones to find their unconscious bodies and a crying Harry. They were sat opposite Dumbledore, in his office at Hogwarts whilst Lily and Harry were in the hospital wing with McGonagall.

"Forget that." Sirius exclaimed, his voice full of anger and hatred. "Where the fuck is Pettigrew?" Lupin growled with hatred and only Dumbledore managed to silence them all.

"Moody has been told and he is searching for him as we speak. To get back to your question Mr Potter, I do believe that, forgive me as I speak, since Voldemort was so excited to finally have the chance to kill your son, he didn't have his full attention on killing you and Lily. He didn't manage to kill Harry either, since Lily's love and sacrifice made the curse rebound." James smiled warmly. God he did love that woman.

"So, he's dead?" Lupin questioned with hope on his face. Dumbledore shook his head.

"It is my beliefs that he will return when he is back to full strength but for now, yes he is gone. In the meantime we must work on defeating as many of his followers as we can, as well as keeping Harry safe. They are going to want to avenge their leader's death."

With that said, the four started to plan everything that was on their minds and needed to be sorted out immediately.

* * *

"Lily, oh goodness I came as soon as I heard." McGonagall exclaimed, rushing to her bedside with her robes billowing behind her like a cape. "How are you? All of you?" Lily laughed at the worried expression on the professor's face, one she had rarely seen during her years at the school.

"We're fine Minerva; we're all alive and safe here." Lily looked down at her son, doing her best to ignore the scar that had now been placed on his perfect forehead. "Harry here saved the day and we're all okay." Minerva smiled and stroked the sleeping boy's head.

"He didn't save the day dear, it was you." Lily looked up in shock. "Yes, your love and sacrifice made the curse rebound and you saved your son." Lily didn't respond, instead chose to hold her son closer and kiss him on the head, hiding her face. "I'll leave you to rest dear."

"Has Peter been found?" Lily asked and watched as McGonagall looked sad before hiding the emotion behind her teaching mask and then shaking her head. "Oh okay." Minerva didn't know how to comfort the woman that was so happy to be alive and yet so sad to have been betrayed and ended up choosing to pat her on the shoulder before leaving the hospital wing.

Peter had betrayed them, betrayed the Marauders, and betrayed _James. _He almost got their family killed and he would have succeeded if it hadn't been for some miracle. Now he was going to run and hide, waiting for everyone to forget about him before surfacing again. They had to find him soon before he got away. _She _needed to find him soon.

Her anger for Pettigrew was more than anything she had ever felt before. She knew that if Sirius found Peter then he would either die or be beaten so badly that he wished he was dead. Remus would keep his emotions in check, presumably, and just hand him over to the aurors. James, well nobody could know what James would do. He got betrayed by his friend, almost got his family killed and because of that you'd think that he would kill him but Lily knew that the auror in him would want justice to be served and he'd do nothing. Because of this, he could calm Sirius down and then nothing would happen to the rat that was Pettigrew.

No, that left it all down to Lily. She was going to find Pettigrew.

But she had no clue where to look and she couldn't leave Harry on his own. Not now.

"Lily!" A voice exclaimed. Lily looked up sharply, her eyes searching for the voice. She relaxed considerably when Molly Weasley ran towards her. "Oh Lily darling! I'm so glad you are okay. Dumbledore sent us an owl and I would have come sooner but Percy was determined to show me his new rat." Lily tilted her head to the side. A rat. He wouldn't, would he?

"Oh don't worry about it Molly. To be honest, I'm just glad that Harry's alive. Tell me more about this rat though, Percy was so eager to tell you then I want to know too." Molly only gave her a curious glance before shrugging and describing the whole situation to her. Lily barely paid attention until one significant description caught her attention.

"He's missing a little finger on one of his paws. Poor little guy, but he seems okay with it." Lily narrowed her eyes immediately before plastering a smile on her face.

"Sorry to interrupt but could you look after Harry for me, I need to go speak to James and my baby has been through enough tonight, I just want him to rest." Molly didn't even bat an eyelid, taking the baby into her arms and rocking him slightly, shooting her a smile. Lily smiled back, kissing Harry on the head and silently saying goodbye before murmuring a thanks to the ginger woman and walking calmly out of the hospital wing.

Once out into the empty corridor, she attempted to apparate to The Burrow but the wards around Hogwarts prevented her. She grumbled slightly before running down the corridor to the secret passage to Hogsmeade. For once, she was thankful that James had dragged her through it because now it was really helping her. She carried on running, even when she had a stitch and her lungs were burning but she didn't stop. Her hatred and need for revenge was burning more.

Any other day, she would have believed that she was under some kind of curse, making her do things that she would never normally do. Such as hunting someone down.

When she burst out of the exit of the passage, she wasted no time in looking at her surroundings instead choosing to focus on The Burrow and apparate to it. This time it worked and she smiled softly at the Weasley home. She walked up the path, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. She was halfway to the door when a small ginger child ran in front of her laughing. He was clutching a small rat and being chased by his two older brothers. He threw a glance in her direction, slowing down when he noticed her smile.

* * *

"Oh hi Molly. Have you seen Lily?" Minerva asked when she returned to the hospital wing. Molly looked up from the baby she was rocking and smiled warmly at the older woman.

"She left to see Harry a while ago. Asked me to look after this little one and scurried off. That poor woman, going through so much at such a young age. She's a mum, almost died, and encountered _himself _more times than necessary and she still manages to smile." Minerva couldn't agree less with the ginger woman before her. Lily Evans – _Potter _– had gone through too much and she was astonished at how she still seemed to bounce back up and act like nothing happened. Of course there were the nightmares and the scars, the jumpiness when someone made a loud noise, but that was from every Order member.

What McGonagall was incredibly proud of, however, was Lily's ability to not use the Unforgivable curse, any of them. With what she's gone through it would be easy to defend herself with a cry of _Crucio _or _Avada Kedavra _but with a glance at the strong willed woman whenever she was near, you could tell that she would never resort to such atrocities. "Thank you dear." McGonagall responded before turning around with her robes billowing behind her.

Minerva nibbled her lower lip. She had a feeling that something was wrong. Lily would never normally ditch her child to go see her husband, but if it was information on Pettigrew or Voldemort, or just a wifely concern, then it was understandable. McGonagall nodded to herself as she climbed the stairs to Dumbledore's office. Lily was stressed and every action she took from now on was reasonably justified.

"Lily, dear, can I talk to you for a second?" McGonagall called out, pushing the door open and frowning when there was no woman to greet her, only the three Marauders and the headmaster. "Sorry Albus, but I thought Lily was here." James rose from his chair.

"Lily's not with Harry?" She shook her head, the feeling returning to her gut immediately.

"She told Molly Weasley that she was coming to see you." James paled and Remus stood too, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She hasn't come here?" All the men shook their heads. "Well then where did she go?"

* * *

"Hi." She murmured, crouching down to face him. "I'm Lily, a friend of your mum's. You must be Percy." She murmured and he stepped forward to smile at her. "She told me to come and see your new pet." He grinned, stroking the rat's fur and not noticing how he was wriggling like crazy to get out of his grasp. "Bill, Charlie." Lily added, nodding at the other brothers who stopped to see Lily.

"Hey Lily! Mum said that she went to see you." Lily nodded.

"She did, but she looked after Harry for me so that I could come see the new pet." The rat in question bit Percy's finger causing him to drop him. Before Wormtail could run far, Lily had grabbed him in a tight hold and glared at him. The rat drooped with defeat. "Boys, why don't you go patch that bite up and I'll have a little chat with the rat to make him be nicer?" They all nodded and wandered into the house, presumably where Arthur was looking after the other children.

With the children gone, Lily glanced around and noticed a small clearing through some trees to the side. With determination in her strides, she made it there within seconds, throwing the rat's body onto the ground and pointing her wand at him. He changed back into human form and smiled at her sheepishly. "Hello Lily."

Her glare remained. "Hello Peter. I'm going to kill you." He gulped.

* * *

_Author's note: Hey guys, so this is my first attempt at writing Harry Potter, so sorry if it isn't that good. This will be three parts, possibly more depending on where I can take it, and I'll only carry on if people are actually enjoying and want to read it. So this does mean reviews, follows and favourites are required. Believe it or not, but reviews actually do help us writer's. Hope to hear from you – wannabewyler xo_


	2. Finding Lily

_A/N: Hey guys, this should have been up ages ago but college got in the way of things and obviously that takes priority for me, however, we are here with this chapter and please, please, please review!_

* * *

"Hello Peter. I'm going to kill you." He gulped.

"Lily, come on, let's talk about this." Her eyes widened as she laughed with disbelief.

"Talk about this? Pettigrew you almost had my family _killed. _Talking about _this _is only going to delay the inevitable." He frowned at her, his left hand slowly inching towards his pocket.

"But Lily, what about our history? We've been like family ourselves for a few years." Lily nodded, not noticing his hand that was now in his pocket and wrapped around his wand.

"We have Peter but apparently family doesn't mean the same thing for you as it does for me." His eyes narrowed and angrily whipped out his wand, pointing it at her heart. She didn't even blink, disarming him within seconds. With his eyes resting on his wand a few feet from him, he realised now how much danger he was in. His eyes flickered back to her and he swallowed with obvious discomfort. "Ah, Peter realised how much _shit_ he really is in now? Your weakness is just overwhelming, you know?" His eyes flashed and she knew she struck a nerve. "Ah, did that hurt you? Really doesn't surprise me, I mean you have Remus, the smart yet subtly dangerous one who is gorgeous to the point of drooling." Her wand was still aimed dangerously at Peter. "You have Sirius, the womanizer and _blood traitor _but he is still gorgeous, confident, funny and talented." Peter's body was stiffening now, and an angry look was on his face but she ignored it, carrying on. "And James, ah good old James. Head boy, quidditch captain, one of the most talented boys of our time at Hogwarts and also one of the most gorgeous. He even managed to get the girl Pete, managed to have a family. What about you Pettigrew, _what about you?"_

Lily knew she was baiting him, waiting for him to snap so that she could hurt him but she still didn't expect him to launch himself at her, tackling her to the floor and causing her hand to let go of the wand, accidentally flinging it near Peter's. She kicked his shin, crawling towards her wand but his grip on her ankle pulled her back to him. She twisted so that was on her back and kicked his face.

His nose shattered and he roared in pain, stumbling backwards and clutching his bleeding feature. When she started to crawl back to the wands, he grabbed both feet and yanked her back, resting a knee on her back as she wriggled to get free. Before she could wriggle free and defend herself in anyway, Peter had grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled her head up before slamming into the ground. Once. Twice. Three times.

She lay there in a daze, her head resting on the ground and she watched Peter's feet as he walked to where the wands rested before slowly pulling herself into a standing position, ignoring the pounding pain in her head and the blood that was trickling down her face. If she was going to die, it was going to be on her own terms.

* * *

"Prongs, calm down." Sirius said. James' eyes flashed to his and Sirius sighed with defeat. Though he couldn't let it show, he was just as torn up about Lily's disappearance as James was. Obviously not _as _much as James but Sirius had grown to love the fiery red head like his little sister. "Okay, don't calm down." James growled, stopped in his pacing and stared at his friend.

"Peter betrayed us. My wife is missing. We're in a middle of a war and you want me to calm _down?" _James shouted. Remus stood up from his seat and placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder.

"Shouting and pacing isn't going to find her James. We broke into Filch's office, checked the map and she's not on the grounds. That means she went through a passage to Hogsmeade and is either still there taking a break or she apparated somewhere else. Have you spoken to Molly?" James sighed, running his hands through his hair and grumbled.

"Yes. She said that she was talking to Lily about Percy then Lily asked her to look after Harry whilst she came to talk to me. The next thing she knew was when Minerva wandered in looking for her." The three were sitting in one of the classrooms that were near the hospital wing. After finding out about Lily's disappearance, James had refused to stay too far away from his sleeping son but once the other Marauders realised his temper was getting the better of him, they dragged him into the nearest room.

"Why was Molly talking to Lily about Percy?" Remus asked, his brow furrowed with confusion. James shrugged.

"Beats me. Those girls can natter for hours about anything."

"Yeah but Molly obviously said something that would trigger _this." _Remus pointed out. Sirius nodded, seeing where Remus was coming from. They all had thoughtful expressions on their face before Sirius cursed.

"Ah Merlin's balls. You don't think she's gone looking for Wormy do you?" He exclaimed, running hands through his hair and messing it up like James always did. James stopped pacing and looked at them with wide eyes. "Fuck it, we know that she would. Remember that time she hunted down Avery for calling James a blood traitor? We warned her that she would get hurt but she still did it once we turned our back." Remus nodded in agreement.

"She was in the hospital wing for the weekend." Remus added, a smile gracing his face at the memory.

"Yeah but she got Avery good. He was in there for a whole week." Sirius responded, smiling proudly.

"My moron of a wife has gone hunting a death eater." James mumbled, his face pale and eyes wide.

* * *

"Lily, why do you insist on fighting? The Dark Lord will be triumphant." Lily shrugged, taking a step towards him.

"I'm a Gryffindor. Brave and loyal. I'm also ridiculously stubborn but I fear that it's more _me _than my Gryffindor blood." Peter smiled despite himself. "Pete, _why?" _

"He was going to kill me." He whispered. She stepped closer and he hadn't noticed. "You know he already killed my mum, took her away before my eyes and then threatened me. I was distraught and scared and I said yes. You don't know what it's like Lily, to watch your family disappear before you and have your own life threatened."

She was standing before him, an arms stretch away from grabbing a wand from his pocket. "I don't?" she asked him and he nodded. "What about my own parents Peter? Killed in a death eater attack during the Christmas holidays of our seventh year; I was making them tea and came back out of the kitchen just in time to see the flashes of green hit my parents." Peter stared at her with wide eyes and shock. She forgot that he had been on holiday in France with his parents during that Easter and he hadn't questioned why all the Marauders were suddenly so protective of her. "Yep, I came out and saw three of them standing there laughing. Malfoy, you know the Slytherin who kept trying to get me, the year above us?" Peter nodded. "Yeah, he was there and recognised me, told the other two to have some fun with me. I ran, ran out of the house and into the garden, hopping the fence to the field behind my house. I could hear them chasing me but I didn't look over my shoulder to see how close they were. I didn't want to lose hope."

She took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "James and I hadn't officially got together then, we'd flirted sure and everyone knew how we felt about each other but during that run I was scared that I'd never get to see him again and obviously we know that my apparating skills aren't top notch so I didn't want to risk splinching myself." She took a small step closer to him; he was too entranced in her tale to notice. "I grabbed the wand out my hoodie pocket and sent a patronus to him, telling him how much I loved him and I was sorry about _everything._ Seconds after I sent it, Malfoy tackled me to the ground. James got my message, obviously, Sirius and Remus saw it too as well as his parents. At first they thought I was finally admitting that I liked him and they sent a few jibes but then they all heard the underlying fear in my tone and then my confession of being sorry, I think I told him that it hurt that I'd never see his face again." Peter looked like he was going to cry.

"His parents, obviously being the best aurors in the Ministry used practically all of their resources to go to my parents' home. James, Sirius and Remus went too and I heard that they all cried and feared the worst when they saw my parents laying there and the smashed tea cups in the kitchen doorway. I guess I have James to thank for actually believing I was still alive, searching the house until it got to the point where Padfoot had to _drag _him into the garden for some fresh air and to calm himself. I guess I also have Sirius to thank for finding me; he saw movement through the trees at the end of the garden, saw a flash of light which was me trying to escape somehow, and heard my screams. He didn't even tell James what he saw, just _ran. _He could've gotten himself killed just to save me. Remus and James followed after him and if they had been seconds later then yeah, I'd have been killed but I wasn't and they fought for me, and they saved me." Her hand was outstretched, she could practically feel the wand and when Peter drew in a shaky breath she surged forwards, snatching the wand out of his pocket and disarming him again as she whirled out of his reach.

"That's what a family does Peter, we _save _each other, not kill each other."

This was it. This was the moment that she had been waiting for since she woke up in her shattered home to see Remus' concerned face fill with relief and to hear Harry crying for her and James. She levelled the wand at his heart and she saw him trying to think of something to defend himself, to get out of there as quickly as he could and never face the wrath of Lily Potter again. She was more pissed than James and Remus had been at Sirius when he had told Snape about the _furry little problem. _

"Lily _please. _What would James think? What about the Marauders? What about Harry?" Her breath caught in her throat and she had to hold back the tears of never seeing her baby boy again.

"They'll understand. I have to do this, the others, they might hurt you a bit but they wouldn't kill you. They'd hand you over to the aurors and you'll go to Azkaban. Peter I need to do this, I want to watch the fear and terror on your face and I want to watch you stop breathing. Sure, I'll regret it when I can't see my baby boy go to Hogwarts for the first time and I never get to hold my husband again but I _love _them and this is a sacrifice I'm making for the good of everything."

"As painful as this is for me Lils, I understand."

"Good." She raised the wand, let her rage and anger, her hatred, want and need for this fuel the fire in her and soon there were sparks at the end of her wand. Green sparks. "_Avada Ked-"_

"_Expelliarmus." _The wand flew from her hand and she stared at the wand as it clattered to the floor with confusion on her face before looking up at Peter who was staring at her with the same look of confusion. But then she felt it.

She felt the tingling sensation that she always got when James focused his attention on her. She took a deep breath, looking up and flinched when she met the gazes of three, very pissed Marauders.

* * *

_A/N: There we go, lot longer than I imagined it to be and originally there was only going to be one more chapter and it might still be one more unless I can figure it out how to make more than one, all depends on the magic of my imagination! Also, I hate to do this because I feel like such a beg, which I'm not, but can we check out my OTHER HP fanfic, I tried something knew and the chapters are really long, I know this but I've had people at home/college tell me it's great but only one favourite and review, normally this wouldn't bother me but for some reason it does so please, ignore my begging and just check it out please? See you when I next update – love, wannabewyler xo_


	3. Finding The Potters

**Author's note: Alrighty pumpkins, this was meant to be the last chapter but I'm managing to wrangle out another one, possibly two. Once you've read this you'll understand why. This chapter is more of a filler, bit of background you know? It's not what I was planning to write at all but a discussion with my awesome inspiration this afternoon (my darling little sister) gave me a flashback idea and this is what happened. Found this really easy to write which either means it was dreadful or brilliant – let me know what you think – wannabewyler xo**

_Remus was pissed, that was noticeable when he slammed his best friend into their living room wall of the flat. "Woah Moony, what the hell?" Sirius exclaimed, a bottle of milk dropping to the floor and splattering their feet and legs. "I didn't even know you were home and you're going out?" He asked once he noted what his friend was wearing. Remus was too angry to even think straight and so he let Moony do the talking._

_"You son of a bitch. We were just at a pub, frequented by Death Eaters, on a mission for Dumbledore and you'll never guess what they were saying." Moony growled, his eyes flashing amber and his forearm that was pinning Sirius to the wall was softly pushing against his windpipe. "Voldemort is making a move tonight. Nobody knows on who, whether it be Frank or James but he's making it. Peter's the Longbottom's secret keeper and you are Prongs'. We both know Peter is safe so you bastard for betraying them."_

_"Peter is James' secret keeper, not me, i swear!" Moony loosened his hold on his neck to let Sirius speak. "We have had a lapse in judgement, thinking that you were the worm in our ranks and i'm too obvious of a choice so we chose Wormtail." Moony, too confused with what was going on, let Remus have control again and they stepped back, dropping Sirius to the ground. _

_"We'll talk about _this _later, but if Peter's the secret keeper for both families then..."_

_"Shit." They both mumbled before apparating to Lily and James, to their family._

_-JPLE-_

_The house was a mess just from the outside. Windows were shattered with the curtains flapping outside; the door which had been blasted from its hinges could be seen half against the wall further in. Part of the roof was on fire and all the lights upstairs were flickering. _

_Sirius and Remus were immediately overcome with dread and they felt cold, goosebumps raising on their skin as they blindly grasped each other's hands as they made their walk up the path. _

_The smell of magic once in the house was suffocating and made Sirius' eyes water. They both had their wands drawn, waiting and prepared for any attack. They didn't call out for their friends for they feared it was already too late. "Sirius." Remus murmured, nudging his shoulder and pointing in the direction of the stairs where only a pair of feet could be seen. James' feet._

_James' unmoving feet._

_"No." Sirius gasped, forgetting their training as he rushed towards the body of his best friend. "No no no." He fell to his knees on the stairs, staring at James' body and started crying uncontrollably. "No! Wormtail, the fucking traitor!" Sirius shouted, slamming his fist into the wall above James. Remus stood at the bottom of the stairs, his hands covering his mouth as tears trickled down his cheeks. Even Moony seemed subdued from the shock._

_"Ehgab." A low voice moaned. Sirius and Remus looked with wide eyes as the person made the same noise again, slowly twitching his fingers as his eyes blinked open. "Lily." James croaked out, clearing his throat before speaking again. "Harry. My family?" Remus, now passed his stupor, ran up the stairs to check as he heard his two friends embrace and Sirius comment on never leaving them again. Remus shared the sentiments, after this, they were living together for years; regardless to how Lily felt on the matter._

_The door to the nursery was crooked, hanging on only the bottom hinge and half open to see the broken window and flapping curtains which were smouldering at the bottom. A scorch mark was in the doorway and a crying baby was in the cot. Remus gasped out with the surprise of seeing his non-blood nephew alive and scurried in, practically tripping over the ridiculous broom that Sirius had brought for him in his haste to hold the boy. With Harry settled in his arms, his sobs slowing and quietening but still present, he turned to see the sister figure in his family. _

_Lily was not moving._

_Remus crouched beside her and rolled her over so she was on her back. Her eyes were shut and her face pale and covered in small cuts from the glass. She wasn't breathing. Remus screwed up his eyes and fought the tears as he raised himself from the crouch and left the room to take Harry to the rest of his family. He made his way down the stairs slowly, stopping to set Harry down on the bottom step to where James was sitting, trying to get his strength back. _

_The small boy waddled into his father's arms and settled on his lap, muffling his tears in his shirt. Sirius watched the interaction with a smile similar to that of glee, his family was alive, what was not to be happy about?_

_"Where's Lily?" James asked and Remus bowed his head. He couldn't be the one to tell him, he couldn't. It hurt him too much to even think about it let alone say it. "My wife, where is she?" Remus blinked down at his friend and then switched his gaze to his boyfriend. These people, his family, hadn't trusted him and yet he couldn't bring himself to care. He just couldn't be the one to tell him though. "No." James breathed before burying his face in his son's hair. _

_"I'm sorry." Remus mumbled, unsure of what to say or do and he watched as Sirius' smile fell._

_"HARRY?!" A shrill cry called, breaking the silence. "Baby boy? James? Oh my God, no no no." Remus whirled with shock before grabbing Harry from James' arms and running back upstairs. Harry was crying again, more out of shock and confusion than actually being upset. When Remus raced back into the room, Lily was still laying on the floor her eyes shut and her body still flung everywhere as it had been the last time. If it wasn't for the slight movement of her chest then Remus would have believed that he imagined the voice. _

_He placed Harry on the floor and crouched over Lily, slowly stroking her hair as her eyes fluttered open to meet his worried gaze. Harry's cries were getting louder now that he had nobody to cuddle him and Lily crawled over to her baby boy, holding him to herself and the tears stopped immediately. _

_Moments later and James burst through the door, his weight supported by Sirius._

_Everyone cried. Everyone was happy. Everyone was _alive.

_Despite their being a rat amongst their ranks, a betrayer in the family, they could forget it all and just embrace the fact that everyone was there and when Dumbledore and McGonagall appeared at the house soon after, taking them to Hogwarts, they were still smiling like idiots._

_Just happy to be alive._


End file.
